Well I took a brief break to teach my wife some cooking technique. She wanted me to show her how I thicken her stew for her. (She always asks me to do this!)

So I melted two tablespoons of butter, added several twists of pepper from the mill and a couple of pinches of kosher salt. Then three tablespoons of flour whisked in and allowed to slow cook until light brown. Mixed in one cup of the broth from the hot stew, whisking rapidly.

Slowly poured the sauce into the stew, while stirring the stew. Thus thick stew with a rich gravy. (But you all know this already.)

Any way the cork from the second bottle pulled with some difficulty, but I got it out in one piece. Still decanted through a brown coffee filter.

More red than brick, very slight brick color on the meniscus. A bit more tannic than the first bottle, but very nice mouth feel - decent acid content. Smooth, just wanted to let it linger. Still a hint of something earthy or leathery, but more of a fruit nose. Still the tannic finish with a slightly seemingly sweet after-taste.

Too bad this is my last bottle. I really am enjoying drinking this 18 year old burgundy. Went very nicely with the stew.

Considering how delicate Pinot Noir is, I'm really surprised that this stuff was pleasing to my palate at 18 years old, stored in less than ideal conditions.

This grape is as fickle as advertised so bundeling any and all perceptions can produce some bad results. If you look at the aging potential of some of the DRCs they can go with the 1st growths whenced cellared properly. WW (whew! them be big words!!!)

I could probably live a happy life if I was forced to drink Pinot Noir and Riesling for the rest of that life--even with the PN disappointments that are sure to come up, 'cause when they hit the mark, they are enlightening.

I'm looking forward to my second Burgundy experience. My first was very disappointing. At a tasting we had some bottle priced at over $100 that turned out to be my least favorite of the night (which included a good handful in the $20 range). I'm ready to be "enlightened."

Don't think I'll be making it as far North as Burgundy while we're over here in the Old World this year. Too many places to see with a student budget that only goes so far.

I'm a big fan of Band-Aid, manure, and dirt notes, but this bottle didn't give me any of that. Only thing I can remember about this bottle (besides the surprising price tag) is that it was simple and harsh - One (only one) distinguished palate that night was able to rave about the length of the finish, but nothing else. It was decanted for probably an hour, and sampled over the course of the following 2 hours, so that wasn't the problem. Give me flavor and balance! Again, I'm looking forward to my next, hopefully "enlightening," experience.

Sometimes decanting an older wine does more damage than good, as it is already mature and decanting accelerates the oxidation of young and/or tight wine to open up. I have had older wines break up in the glass because I didn't drink them fast enough and I have also over decanted other until they were nothing but gritty and acidic juice. What I am trying to say 18 years for most Pinot Noir based wines even from good years is pretty old. Maybe your wow experience was stolen away by decanting.

A colleague of mine, (me xray,him doc), has extended an invitation to see his cellar this weekend. He's a Burg sort of guy. Said something about perhaps pulling a cork. Be my first.

I wonder if etiquite says I should take something from my pitiful little cellar of "nothing really ready" ('05+, TJ's and Lorings), or just show up surely to be in awe of his 5-10K climate controled doins?
WP